Combination slider assembling and end stop applying apparatus

ABSTRACT

A combination slider assembling and end stop die unit is carried on an anvil and movable therewith relative to a support table. The unit is movable into and away from the path of a reciprocating hammer, viz. between a first position for assembling a slider on the fastener away from the path of the hammer and a second position registering with the path of the hammer for applying an end stop to the assembled fastener. A limit switch is provided which senses the said second position and thereupon actuates the hammer.

United States Patent [191 Kawakami [451 Feb. 19, 1974 I COMBINATION SLIDER ASSEMBLING AND END STOP APPLYING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Koichi Kawakami, Toyama, Japan [73] Assignee: Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,

Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Dec. 18, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 316,250

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 22, 1971 Japan 46-104812 [52] US. Cl. 29/207.5 R, 29/2075 SL, 29/2075 ST [51] Int. Cl 823p 19/04 [58] Field of Search29/207.5 ST, 207.5 SL, 207.5 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,685 10/1937 OSgOOd 29/2075 ST 3,689,980 9/1972 Oyama 29/2075 ST Primary ExaminerThomas I-I. Eager 57 ABSTRACT A combination slider assembling and end stop die unit is carried on an anvil and movable therewith relative to a support table. The unit is movable into and away from the path of a reciprocating hammer, viz. between a first position for assembling a slider on the fastener away from the path of the hammer and a second position registering with the path of the hammer for applying an end stop to the assembled fastener. A limit switch is provided which senses the said second position and thereupon actuates the hammer.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED FEB 1 9!.974

sum 1 or 6 FIG.1

PAIENTEDFEBWIQH 4 A st/92.521

SHEETZUFfi PATENIED FEB I SL974 I SHEET a {1F 6 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for assembling sliders on a slide fastener chain or individual slide fasteners and for applying end stops to the assembled fastener subsequently but in immediate succession.

The operation of assembling the slider is closely associated with that of applying the end stop to the bottom end portion of the fastener which has been closed by the slider. While it is desirable to carry out these two different operations in immediate succession on the same machine from the point of view of speeding up the production of finished slide fasteners, it was difficult to do so within very limited working space around the end stop applying machine. The conventional practice was therefore to mount the slider on the fastener by a slider clamping machine located separately and a certain distance apart from the end stop applying machine and thereafter cautiously hand-carry the assembled fastener over to the latter machine. This procedure was not only time-consuming but often involved the fixing of the end stop in improper position on the fastener, resulting in defective fastener products. The hand-carrying relay of the fastener from one place to another was more tedious and skill-requisite particularly where the fastener to be worked upon had been previously attached to garment strips such as trouser flies. v

There have been proposed certain advanced end stop applying machines designed to perform the operations of assembling the slider and of applying the end stop in succession on the same machine. Such prior art machines have overcome the drawback of the abovementioned conventional procedure in a sense to speed up the fastener finishing operations involving slide fasteners alone. However, it has been found difficult with the prior art machines due to structural limitations to handle the fastener which has been previously sewn to a bulky garment fabric.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Whereas, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved slide fastener parts applying machine which will substantially e liminate the foregoing difficulties of the conventional machines.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an improved machine which is capable of performing both the slider assembling and the end stop applying operation expeditiously in succession not only upon unsewn slide fasteners per se but also upon such fasteners which have previously been attached to garment strips or the like.

It is another specific object of the invention to provide an improved machine which is capable of varying its operating position with the particular direction in which the slide fastener is desired to be delivered.

It is a further specific object of the invention to provide an improved machine provided with a combination slider assembling and end s'top die unit which is movable into and away from the position in which the end stop is applied to the assembled slide fastener.

It is another detailed object of the invention to provide means for automatically sensing the end stop applying position and in response thereto actuatingthe hammer to punch the end stop into proper position on the slide fastener.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear clear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example certain preferred embodiments which the invention may assume in practice and in which like reference numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the machine em bodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side elevational views utilized to explain the operation of the machine;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the slide fastener attached to garment strips to which the slider and bottom end stop are applied; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side elevational views respectively showing modifications of the machine according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawings and FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, there is shown a slide fastener parts applying machine generally designated which comprises a machine frame 101 having mounted thereon a hammer-carrying head 102 and a combination slider assembling and end stop die unit 103. The hammer-carrying head 102 includes means for die-cutting a metal strip into individual bottom end stops P in the form of staples, or may alternatively be arranged to receive preformed staple-like end stops from a delivery chute connected to a parts supply hopper, all such arrangements being conventional and forming. no positive parts of the invention. The hammer or punch .104 is vertically reciprocated a predetermined stroke by a suitable actuating means such as electromagnetic clutches (not shown) which operate in response to a sensing means later described, and cooperates with a clamping die later described in applying a bottom end stop P to a slide fastener F.

TI-Ie combination slider assembling and end stop die unit 103, which forms the subject matter of the invention, comprises a vertical anvil 105 which mounts a clamping die means 106 connected thereto adjustably in its height relative to the operating end of the hammer 104 by means of threaded bolts 107a and 107b and a slider assembling means 108 having a support leg 109 secured removably within a bore 110 provided in the anvil 105.

The vertical anvil 105 is divided'into an upper section 105a and a lower section 105b which are interconnected by a vertical support pin member 111 pivotaly mounted interiorly of the anvil 105 by means of adjusting screws 112 and 113 located respectively at the upper and lower sections 105a and 105b. Either of the two adjusting screws 112 and 113 is manipulated to permit the upper section 105a of the anvil 105 to rotate relative to the lower section 105b into any desired position. The lower section 105b is rotatably connected by a large diameter pin member 114 to a supporting table 115, which pin member extends horizontally between the flange portions 116a and 116k of the table 115.

In the first preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through inclusive, the combination unit 103 or the anvil 105 is movable into and away from the path of the reciprocating hammer 104 by the mode of movement in which it rotates back and forth in an arcute path defined between the upright position wherein the clamping die means 106 registers with the hammer 104 for applying the bottom end stop P to the fastener F and the inclined position wherein the unit 103 is displaced away from the path of the hammer 104 to facilitate the assembling of slider S on the fastener F. This is best illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein the upright position just mentioned of the unit 103 is indicated by the chaindotted line and the inclined position by the solid line. To effect the arcuate movement of the unit 103, there is provided a handle 1 17 which is connected to one side of the anvil 105 by means of a small diameter pin 118 extending transversely of the lower section 105b of the anvil 105 and crosswise of thelarge diameter pin 114. To lock the unit 103 securely into theinclined position, there is provided an elongate recess 119 in one of the flanges 1 16a, 1 16b ofthe table 1 15, viz. the flange 11612 in the illustrated embodiment, which recess is configured to receive a lower half portion of the handle 117 snugly therein. More specifically, the handle 117 is normally spring-forced towards the flange ll6b by a compression spring 120 contained in a bore 121 provided in the lower section l05b of the anvil 105, so that when the handle 117 is pulled together with the unit 103 towards the predetermined inclined position, it is urged by the tension of the spring 120 into locked engagement in the recess 119. To further stabilize the locked inclined position of the unit 103, there is provided a cam face 122 at the lower end portion of the anvil 105 which is adapted for abutting engagement with a stopper bolt 123. This cam face 122 bears against the head of the bolt 123 and thereby limits excess rotation of the unit 103. In the inclined position referred to above, the fastener F or a continuous length chain of individual fasteners, whichever the case may be, is assembled with the slider S. More specifically, the opposed fastener stringers F F are threaded through the channel of the slider S clamped releasably in the nest Sn formed in the top end face of the slider assembling means or clamper 108 as shown in FIG. 6 and drawn in the direction of the die means 106, thus to present a length of closed fastener to the latter as shown in FIG. 6. This slider assembling operationis facilitated with a greater degree of freedom and ease because it is carried out in unobstructed environment spaced away from the end stop applying position or from the path of the reciprocating hammer 104.

The unit 103 having thus mounted a slider assembled fastener F is now brought into the upright position indicated by the chain-dotted line in FIG. 4 by releasing the handle 117 from the recess 119 against the tension of the spring 120 and rotating therewith the anvil 10S clockwise about the pin 114. More specifically, the unit 103 is rotated clockwise until the rearward side wall 124 of the anvil 105 bears flat against the corresponding abutment wall 125 of the table 115, when the clamping die means 106 registers with the path of the reciprocating hammer 104 as shown. This is sensed by a limit switch 126, whereupon the electromagnetic clutch mechanism (not shown) is actuated to cause the hammer 104 to descend until the latter drives the end stop P into the closed fastener where desired in the usual manner as illustrated in FIG. 5. Upon application of the end stop P to the assembled slide fastener F, the hammer 104 begins to ascend and return to its normal position illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, while the handle 117 is moved back counter clockwise to set the unit 103 in the inclined position for assembling the slider S on the fastener F, thus repeating the cycle of the fastener parts applying operations as above described.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified form of the invention in which the combination slider assembling and end stop die unit 103 is substantially identical in the construction of its upper section 1050 and in the arrangement of the limit switch 126 to that already described in connection with the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 inclusive. The important features of the machine shown in FIG. 7 reside in the mode of operation in which the unit 103 makes horizontal movement into and away from the path of the hammer 104, i.e., the position of applying the end stop P to the fastener F. This is accomplished by the arrangement of the anvil wherein the lower or base section 105b is provided with a leg 127 extending horizontally therefrom substantially in the form of L for slidable engagement in a horizontal bore 128 provided in the support table 115. The unit 103 is brought into the slider assembling position indicated by the solid line which is a suitable distance apart from the path of the hammer 104 by drawing a corresponding length of the leg 127 slidably out of the bore 128 horizontally forwardly of the table 115.

To facilitate this sliding movement, there is provided a ball member 129 movably supported in a vertical slot 130 communicating with the horizontal bore 128. The ball member 129 is normally urged by a spring 131 in the direction of the horizontal bore 128 for sliding engagement with the bottom surface of the leg 127 of the anvil 105. There is provided arecess 132 in the bottom surface of the leg 127 for stopping engagement with the ball member 129 at such positionwhich defines the end stop applying position of the unit 103 wherein the die means 106 registers with the path of the hammer 104 as indicated by the chain-dotted line in FIG. 7.

There is shown in FIG. 8 another modification of the invention which features the movement of the unit 103v which takes place vertically relative to the hammer 104 as contrasted to the second embodiment described above in connection with FIG. 7. This movement is effected by the arrangement in which the lower section l05b of the anvil 105 is slidably mounted in a vertical bore 133 provided in the support table 1 15. The stroke of this vertical movement is dependent upon the distance between the operating end of the hammer 104 and the top end of the unit 103 desired for facilitating the slider assembling operation as at the solid line position prior to the application of the end stop to the fastener F particularly where the fastener has previously been attached to a garment fabric G. To make the limit switch 126 operate properly in the desired end stop applying position, there is provided a vertical slit or recess 134 in the base section 10512 of the anvil 105. This recess 134 is adapted for engagement with the operating projection 126' of the limit switch 126 when the unit 103 hasreached the chain-dotted line position for end stop application.

While the invention has been shown and described hereinabove, it will be easy for those skilled in the art to devise many modifications thereof without departing from the fair meaning or proper scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It is therefore to be clearly understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings is of an illustrative and not a limitative nature.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying sliders and end stops to slide fasteners or a continuous chain thereof which comprises a reciprocally movable end-stop applying hammer, a support table, an anvil supported thereon and a combination unit comprising a slider assembling means and an end stop die means, said unit carried on said anvil and movable therewith relative to said table for assembling a slider on the fastener in a first operative position away from the pathof said end-stop applying means and subsequently applying an end stop to the assembled fastener in a second operative position wherein said end stop die means registers with said hammer.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable arcuat'ely into and away from the path of said hammer.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable horizontally into and away from the path of said hammer.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable vertically into and away from the path of said hammer.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said anvil is divided into an upper section having mounted thereon said combination unit and a lower section movably connected to said support table, said upper section being pivotally interconnected with said lower section.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further comprises means for sensing said second operative position and thereby actuating said hammer.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said means is a limit switch. 

1. Apparatus for applying sliders and end stops to slide fasteners or a continuous chain thereof which comprises a reciprocally movable end-stop applying hammer, a support table, an anvil supported thereon and a combination unit comprising a slider assembling means and an end stop die means, said unit carried on said anvil and movable therewith relative to said table for assembling a slider on the fastener in a first operative position away from the path of said end-stop applying means and subsequently applying an end stop to the assembled fastener in a second operative position wherein said end stop die means registers with said hammer.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable arcuately into and away from the path of said hammer.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable horizontally into and away from the path of said hammer.
 4. ApparatUs as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination unit is movable vertically into and away from the path of said hammer.
 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said anvil is divided into an upper section having mounted thereon said combination unit and a lower section movably connected to said support table, said upper section being pivotally interconnected with said lower section.
 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further comprises means for sensing said second operative position and thereby actuating said hammer.
 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said means is a limit switch. 